Clavichord

Clavichords were built as far back as the early fifteenth century, and perhaps earlier. This most personal, simplest, and quietest of European keyboard instruments was the perfect vehicle for music pedagogy, keyboard practice, and composition throughout its 400-year history. The action of the clavichord is relatively simple: the finger depresses a key which, working as a lever, causes its opposite end to rise so that a metal tongue (or tangent) hits a metal string, causing it to resonate. When the key is released, the string is damped. The clavichord is very quiet compared to the harpsichord or piano because of the inefficiency of its sound production, with the tangent hitting the string at the end of its resonating length, rather than in the middle. The tangent mechanism, however, allows a player to achieve a range, albeit narrow, of louder and softer tones as well as special effects like bebung, a form of vibrato, so that the clavichord was and is valued for its intimate expressiveness. Earlier clavichords were fretted, that is, a single string might be used to create several different notes, depending on where a tangent struck it. Unfretted clavichords, with a single note per string, came into use in the late seventeenth century.




Technical description: Fretted clavichord, Range C-g3; softwood case verneered in oak with walnut panels and inlaid stringing, paneled oak lid, printed paper around case interior; note names marked on keys; naturals ebony covered with pear-wood arcades, heads 3.6 cm long with 3 scored lines, accidentals of ivory-topped stained pearwood, 7.7 cm long, pivot points: C 11.7 cm, C# 9.7, f#3 11.4, g3 13.6; brass tangents; unpierced oblong tuning pins, new lock on front flap; spruce (?) soundboard probably not original judging from sloppy workmanship, altered soundboard moulding and nailholes below bridge; bridge has simple cross-section, no back-pinning; leg-mounting blocks on bottom may not be original and instrument may have had a separate stand; keys g#, g2, b2, d3, e3 do not appear original; brass-strung, lowest 8 strings overwond. (Hardy Schlick, 1977)